Brisbane launch of “On the Banks of the Barambah – A History of Cherbourg”

On Thursday we had the Brisbane launch of “On the Banks of the Barambah – A History of Cherbourg” at kurul dhagun at State Library in Brisbane. It was a good turn out, although the rain kept some people away. People loved the book and many were sold. It was good to see so many Brisbane based Cherbourg Elders attending the event.

Lesley Williams was MC for the evening and officially launched the book. Sandra Morgan chairperson of the Ration Shed Museum spoke eloquently about the Ration Shed Museum. (see extract of her speech at the end of this blog) Tricia Button from the ICC, (funders of this book) said many kind words about the Ration Shed Museum. Tom Blake, historian and author (author of “The Dumping Group”) spoke about Cherbourg and sung the praises of our new book, which was a great endorsement. Sally Lawrence spoke about the “Most Excellent Adventure tours” to the Ration Shed that the Department of Education on the Sunshine Coast regularly organise. (contact: Sarah.Larsen@dete.qld.gov.au or call 07 54599150) Jeanette Brown spoke about the “Reconciliation Fun Run” from Murgon to Cherbourg on the 27th of April.

We want to thank everyone who ensured that the event a success – there were many behind the scene workers and supporters. Lesley Williams put in a huge effort and SLQ staff were so supportive and helpful. Many people who attended the event, kindly bought two copies of the book and donated one copy to an Elder. Thank you so much for doing this.

The book was authored by Lesley Williams, Mark Newman, Jo Besley, Robyn Hofmeyr and Sandra Morgan. Many other people contributed to the ideas and information and Rocko Langton’s beautiful artwork is found throughout the book. Tony Gooley Design in association with Liesbeth Thie, designed the book. This book is for sale from our online shop at rationshed.com.au/product/on-the-banks-of-the-barambah-a-history-of-cherbourg/

Book launch at kurul dhagun

Lesley and Tricia Button

Sandra Morgan speaks

Tom Blake helps to promote the book

Jeanette Brown talks about the Fun Run

Sally Lawrence talks about the tours and our Work booklets

Handing our donated books

handing out donated books

Donny & Honour

SLQ selling the books for us

Cherbourg workers in 1960’s

Tom & Jo Besley

Donated books being handed out

Tricia picking the winners of the lucky door prize

Winners of Lucky door prize

and our Ration Shed Museum shop and from the Brisbane SLQ shop.

Sandra’s speech – Brisbane Book Launch Thursday 27th March 2014

A number of us from Cherbourg – those still living there and those who now call Brisbane home – we remember what it was like growing up there. It was our childhood and we all have those memories – both good and bad – of our lives there and we are able to think back now and laugh …and we love laughing, you know that…

As a child you don’t really know any better… that world was your world. You didn’t see the bigger picture…

And even as you grow into adulthood, often you still look around you and think that this is the way things are…

But things change, things do get better and even if we have some nostalgia for some of the old things, we are happy now to be out of that old system and to be treated like normal citizens in this country…

But, you know, when you think about it, those officials, those overseers and policemen who kept us locked away on the reserve and who exploited our labour and who treated us like we were children… those men and women they also didn’t know any better. They also thought that this is the way the world is made, they also couldn’t see the bigger picture…

This is not to excuse anybody – for many years our people suffered and many are still suffering – I’m just saying that ideas of blame and guilt and victims and perpetrators are difficult – just as sorry and apology and reconciliation are difficult…

And this is where I’ve been heading with this – our work at the Ration Shed is not about guilt or victims, or blaming… it is about learning, showing respect, about understanding and about the richness of life and, in particular, our culture… In a word, it is about reconciliation…

This book is produced in that spirit. It is about the bigger picture for us all. The book – On the Banks of the Barambah – is one of the many things that we’ve produced at the Ration Shed. Those of you who have visited us will know the Timeline in the Ration Shed, the videos, the exhibitions – like the Strong Women Shadow Boxes and the Many Threads – the videos, the art works, the Memory, the Education Books for Schools and a lot more.

All of this goes towards the main aim of educating and informing whilst also offering people a good time, time to meet Cherbourg people and to get to know us… And we’ve seen how it affects the people who come there, students and visitors people from all walks of life… locally, nationally, internationally… They come to look and to listen and to learn – but most importantly when they are with us many people say they feel, they go through an emotional experience and THAT’s what it’s all about.

So when you open the pages of this book, you will find pictures of happy people as well sad, people suffering as well people proud, many poor people but who are rich in spirit…

This book is also a special tribute to the many people who paved the way for what we are doing today. The Elders who came before, those who stayed in Cherbourg and the many who left… They have contributed to the development of the Cherbourg Community and the wider community – in all areas – sport, entertainment, education, you name it, you’ll find a Cherbourg Boy or a Cherbourg Girl busy there… I’ll give you an example of one such person, my maternal grandmother…

We never heard our grandmother complain and she was always very strict and we always thought she was grumpy but actually it was her way of protecting us. She took us kids everywhere, not our mum – Granny wanted to watch over us…

She was taken away as a young girl from country to Woolawin Girls Home and then taken to Fraser Island and then shipped to Yarrabah and then back to Barambah…. Taken here and then taken there… We used to think she got around a lot… but actually she was part of the stolen generation moved by the authorities from place to place… Every night she told us stories yarning us to sleep – dreamtime stories, fairy tales, bible stories – But she never complained, never told us about the past… through fear that they would move her again, fear that she would be separated from family again…

One can understand – I only really found out about her and my grandfather’s pasts later in life… One can say that survival in a place like Barambah-Cherbourg meant keeping quiet, holding your tongue…

But, while one can understand this, we also have to say it is in itself part of the problem because to never talk about the past

served to cover-up much of our history and to cut us off from our ancestral pasts…

So we at the Ration Shed Museum in Cherbourg see our mission is to reconnect much of this missing past, to put back together so many of the broken pieces, to re-assemble the family and ancestral lines that were so disrupted in the last few hundred years…

This is our passion. If – or should I say when? – you read this book you will see why me and my mates – women and men of Cherbourg and some who are not from there – are so passionate about what we are doing… there on the Banks of the Barambah…

We want you to come visit us… and if you’ve already been, please come again and bring your friends…